FAQs

It was much easier to adapt our contest exchange format and leverage the activity already created by those two popular contests than it would have been to find a nice, quiet Saturday during the Spring months when no other contests were being held.

The operating hours of the four contests overlap only partially, giving each contest some time as "the only game in town" but also providing opportunities for inter-party activity.

Where did the county abbreviations come from? Why is Lincoln's different in different states?

We used the same algorithm that had been used for Oregon, i.e. use the first three letters of the county name; when ambiguous, use phonetic abbreviations for each (e.g. ORLCN for Lincoln, ORLNN for Linn). Exceptions are Washington, where we used the Salmon Run abbreviations (except the 4-character ones), and Arizona, where the state coordinators preferred phonetic abbreviations.

Can I log names of counties or make up my own abbreviations?

Yes... but the QSO will probably be rejected. The exchange is signal report plus state/county code(s), state/province/"DX" two-letter code(s) or other-QSO-party location code(s). (Some logging programs record the prefix as the location code for VE and DX stations, we also accept those.)

What about stations that change counties and/or states?

If they're in one of the concurrent QSO parties -- or are just changing states -- and send the appropriate exchange, they can be worked again.

If they're on a county or state line they count for both. You can log them as multiple QSOs or as one with multiple location codes (e.g. NY/PA).

I'm in 7-land, but my callsign is W1AW. As I don't have a 7-area callsign, should I sign W1AW/7? Or should I sign W1AW?

We suggest using W1AW/7 when calling CQ. W1AW is fine when calling other stations, since you can work anyone, but adding /7 for consistency is fine too.

My log is on my computer but I don't know how to generate a Cabrillo file. Should I:

Print and mail it,

Create a jpeg screenshot and email it,

Cut-and-paste it into the webform athttp://www.b4h.net/cabforms/7qp_cab.php,

Save it as a consistent, readable text file and email it,

Email the raw log file, or

Do 4 or 5, but generate a floppy or CD and mail it?

Please don't do 1 or 2! 3 is preferred (it sends us a Cabrillo file), 4 is OK, 5 is acceptable for ADIF files and Excel spreadsheets, and 6 will work if you're unable to send email. Note that many logging programs omit the contest exchange from ADIF-file QSO records -- check before submitting.

Do I need to include a claimed score?

No... we ignore it.

Do you send an acknowledgement of receiving my log? If so, why didn't I receive it?

Yes. It's sent from <7qpadmin{AT}codxc.org> -- be sure that address (with @ for {AT}) isn't blocked by a spam filter.

What log problems do you fix or let me know about?

Generally gross errors. E.g.,

your location code is missing, wrong or incomplete in QSO records (often just state or county code due to misconfiguration of "sent exchange" in logging program)

QSO records are split into two lines (happens often when Cabrillo is inline rather than an attachment)

dates and/or times are consistently wrong

These often result from errors in your logging-program configuration. When you check your log before submitting it, look for these errors.

Should I remove dupes from my log?

No -- please don't. There's no penalty, and a dupe in your log might be a valid QSO for the other station (e.g. if he mis-copied your call the first time).

Can I win more than one plaque?

No.

Do you have rules that determine whether a plaque is awarded (other than the fact that a plaque category has a sponsor)?

Yes. We have decided that a plaque will not be awarded (and the sponsor's payment refunded) if the leader in that category has less than 40 QSO's.

I won the XXXX category, but nobody sponsored the plaque for that category this year? Can I still get a plaque?

Yes -- you can pay the sponsorship fee and a plaque will be sent to you. However, you must submit your request and pay the fee on a timely basis following the posting of the final results -- i.e. before we send the list of the plaque winners to the vendor that produces the plaques. Usually that's about two weeks following the end of the log submission period. Contact the Awards program administrator (WS7N).

Site last updated on: May 20, 20197QP / The 7th Call Area QSO PartyeMail Webmaster